The New Neighbor by Karen Cleveland  Yes, be careful who your neighbors are.  This book had you guessing, “who done it?”  Twist and turns and a page-turner, this novel will have you wondering, what is next?  Good entertainment!

Breathless by Amy McCullouch  This book had me breathless reading it.  I love murder mysteries, but this murder(s) happens on Manaslu, only the eighth highest mountain in the world.  Yeah, you won’t find me climbing these mountains, and god love those who love doing it, but this book surely turned me off of mountain climbing.  I am sure the views are beautiful, but I like my life and am not interested in trying to live in the deep cold.  I do that already living in the North Country.  Anyway, the author has experience in climbing and climbing this mountain, so why not write a murder mystery on a climb?  It was a good book, don’t get me wrong, as I couldn’t put it down.  I do recommend reading it. 

The Family Upstairs by Lisa Jewell  A bizarre tale about a twist of fate for Libby Jones, who finds out who her family is as she is adopted and inherits an abandoned mansion with hidden family secrets.  Wow.  Good read.  Looking forward to reading the follow-up, The Family Remains.

Rock, Paper, Scissors by Alice Feeney  This book was shocking.  I thought the person who was writing the letters to her husband was the current wife, but now, it was his former wife.  So many twists and it was like I wanted to advance and see who it was.  It was good.  I recommend this one!

I’m Glad My Mom Died by Jennette McCurdy  Jennette McCurdy is known for the series iCarly, a teen sitcom on Nickelodeon.  This book is an “autobiography” of McCurdy and growing up under a domineering mother.  She took her story to the stage as a one-woman show and then wrote the book.  I read this for a book chat and really did not finish it.  Not top on my list — meh, but don’t go by me.  It’s a hot book out there!

The Last Party by Clare Mackintosh  Murder happens on New Year’s Eve and Ffion and Leo team up to find out who killed the famous singer, Rys Lloyd whose body was found washed up on Mirror Lake in Wales.  Good read.  I recommend it!

Kushner, Inc. by Vicky Ward  Terrible.  Grifters and I could not finish it.  Waste of time!  These people are criminals!

Mercury Pictures Presents by Anthony Mara  Of all the books on this list, this is probably my favorite.  It takes place in Hollywood in the late 30’s and early 40’s and follows a second-rate movie studio that produces B-budget movies and is suspected of goading the US to war as other studios are.  It follows many stories of war emigres escaping fascist Italy and Germany to come to Hollywood and utilize their talents as artists.  The book is written exquisitely and shares factual details of historical events throughout the book.  I highly recommend this one!